The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved a project worth Taka 1,353 crore, to promote further ICT use in schools along with six other projects involving a total amount of Tk 7,890 crore.“The project aims at making the use of ICT more time befitting at the secondary and higher secondary level,” Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told journalists at a post-meeting briefing after the ECNEC meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.Of the total project cost, he said, Tk 3, 876.32 crore will come from the National exchequer and Tk 4,013.68 crore will come as project assistance.He said the ECNEC approved an education project at an estimated cost of Tk 1,353 crore, aiming to make the use of ICT more time befitting at the secondary and higher secondary level.The meeting also approved Shahjalal Fertilizer Project (SFT) (second revised) with an estimated cost of Tk 998.08 crore, he said.“The entire amount (of the project) will be provided by the Chinese government through Chinese EXIM Bank as loan and Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) will complete the implementation of the project by June, 2018,” Kamal said.He said the major aim of the fertilizer project is to build a fertilizer factory near the existing Fenchuganj fertilizer factory to ensure supply of fertilizer to farmers at rational prices.The minister said the government planned to boost local production of fertilizer to cut fertilizer import also encouraging private sector investment in this sector while some private organizations of Saudi Arabia already expressed their interest responding to the government initiative.Of the rest of the projects, three amounted Tk over 300 crore each.The were expansion and improvement of important regional highways (Rajshahi zone) involving Tk 438.94 crore, construction of residential flats and dormitory buildings in places of abandoned houses in Chittagong city involving Tk 476.61 crore and construction of registry and sub-registry office buildings (Second phase) in different districts at a cost of Tk 309.33 crore.The remaining approved projects were multi-sectoral programme (4th phase) to prevent women repression (Tk 115.08 crore), protection of erosion of the both banks of Halda river in Hathajari and Raozan upazilas (Tk 212 crore) and expansion and improvement of important regional highways (Rajshahi zone) (Tk 438.94 crore).Source: BSS